OriginOil, Inc, the developer of a process for harvesting algae and cleaning up oil and gas water, is participating in the ribbon-cutting in Paris on 29 November for a demonstration urban algae project with Ennesys at the La Défense Complex in Paris.

Paris-based energy systems company Ennesys, in partnership with OriginOil, developed a solution that converts wastewater from commercial buildings into energy. Ennesys CEO Pierre Tauzinat will present this technology to developers and American architects at this year’s Greenbuild International Conferences and Expo, held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Ennesys is a pioneer in the brand-new “urban algae” sector, which deploys algae on walls and roofs of buildings to help achieve a positive energy balance and purify water in the process.

Grown in photobioreactors made of polycarbonate or glass, and using only light, wastewater and CO2, the algae can be harvested every 24 to 48 hours. At the end of the growth cycle, the algae is harvested using OriginOil’s Algae Appliance and then processed into a bio-feedstock that has nearly the same energy value as coal.

Because the harvesting process uses no chemicals, the water used to grow the algae can be recycled into the growth system. Alternatively, once the algae has absorbed the nitrates, the water can then be used as “grey water” in building plumbing systems.

As a bonus, the bioreactors on outside walls are a heat shield that moderates building temperatures, making for a cost-effective insulation system.

Under optimum conditions, 1ha (about 2.5 ac) of photobioreactors can produce up to 150 tonnes of algae per year and is thought to reduce water consumption and primary energy needs by up to 80 per cent; savings which can amount to six figures per year for large office towers.[email protected]www.fis.com

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